100% random is white noise I'd think ... which may be a bit boring to serve as music ... at least I'd want to structure that a bit maybe with amplitude changes, and filter it a bit, making it less than 100% random.

I don't really know how much random is actually left in the generative stuff I make, not too much I think ... but it's a balance for me, not enough randomness tends to make repetitive things where all I have available is short sequences .. of say up to 128 steps._________________Jan
(yawning shifts perceived pitch, making things more interesting)

Constraints are what turns randomness into composition. Every decision can be made randomly, if the constraint framework is in place to make those random decisions interesting. The constraint framework is the score which the random processes improvise upon._________________Chris Muir
http://www.eardrill.com <– My jobby (more than a hobby, less than a job)

I am not exactly sure how to say it. I wonder what others who have bare using noodles, field recordings or other generative sources think about how much of the work is the source and how much is them._________________Jack Hertz.com | Aural Films RecordsLast edited by Jack_Hertz on Sat Nov 12, 2011 12:46 pm; edited 1 time in total

FWIW. Not to make a case, just what's on the extreme end. Look at something like WolframTones. If you click that link, it will play something based on no decisions other than to click the link.

There were lots of decisions made before something is generated w/ Wolfram. The system has rules regarding most aspects of the music. The rule framework provide the recognizable styles, while much of the specifics of exactly what to play in those styles is randomized._________________Chris Muir
http://www.eardrill.com <– My jobby (more than a hobby, less than a job)

When playing "random notes" you'll have to decide about several things ... what pitches will will you allow, is there a relation between previous and future pitches, how short can a note be and how long, when will a note play and when will no notes play, what "instruments" will it use, how will it be modulated during it's existence, and how will all those things change over time._________________Jan
(yawning shifts perceived pitch, making things more interesting)

Totally agree. My software step sequencer, Gyre, has the ability to control many of these parameters._________________Chris Muir
http://www.eardrill.com <– My jobby (more than a hobby, less than a job)

I start with something random, and then cut it down by imposing restrictions - making wheighted selectors etc. However, I am often surprised at how little I need to restrict before I start to enjoy it, spending 10 minutes listening to something that is obviously random. I'm easy to please I guess.

Just my $.02 - the human brain looks for patterns constantly. It needs patterns. If no pattern is present it looks for one anyway. If you give people a sample of white noise and ask "Did you HEAR that?", they will generally believe they DID hear something - maybe it's an alien or a ghost, but they'll find it whether it exists or not.

When the brain cannot find a pattern, it eventually gives up. When you go to the ocean and listen to waves, you relax. I think it's because your brain gives up and finally just decides to switch off a little bit. The same thing happens when any truly random white noise is experienced. The wind in the desert causes the same relaxation.

On the other hand, when the brain is actively searching for a pattern, and it finds one, it relaxes and feels better. But - if the pattern is repeated too much, the brain becomes bored - it starts looking for variation again. If the pattern persists, the brain ignores it and looks for something else.

So it's clearly a balance. The pattern forms the basis, and the randomness keeps it fresh. Our brains seem to be actively engaged only in this middle zone. If there is no pattern, we ignore it. If there is too much of a pattern, we ignore it. I guess that makes sense from a survival skills perspective.

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